Dental caries is the number one chronic disease affecting young children today, disproportionately burdening rural African American children of low socio-economic status. Research has shown that beverages rich in sugar can be cariogenic, but amounts necessary to quantify as risk factors for dental caries have been varied and inconsistencies could be related to the use of inappropriate statistical analyses. Furthermore, it has been suggested that how they are consumed may play a role in their cariogenic abilities, but evidence is lacking. Given their increased consumption in African Americans, appropriately determining how beverage consumption affects deciduous teeth in young children is of great